These are what Gareth Bale refers to as “the big moments”. A Champions League
semi-final, second leg, between two of Europe’s super-heavyweights, one the
reigning kings of the Continent, the other the side that sees itself as
sovereign in perpetuity. A slender lead, 80,000 fans, the Allianz Arena,
Real Madrid’s galaxy of precious stars against Bayern Munich, football’s
ultimate collective. Moments do not get much bigger.

It is for games like this that the Welshman left Tottenham Hotspur and the
Barclays Premier League, of course, and yet it is clear that it is all still
quite new to him. During